Hemp Politics

Update: HB 2003 was not given consideration before the Arizona Legislative Crossover date therefore will not be voted on this year. 
Arizona Representative Mark Cardenas has introduced legislation to permit the cultivation and retail sale of marijuana for adults.

House Bill 2003 would regulate the commercial cultivation and retail sale of marijuana to adults over the age of 21. The measures also permit individuals to cultivate marijuana for their own personal use. 

Arizona’s penalties pertaining to the possession and/or sale of cannabis are among the toughest in the nation. Under present law, marijuana possession is classified as a felony, punishable by up to two years in jail. 

Arizona is one of a growing number of states where lawmakers are considering regulating cannabis for adults. NORML will continue to update you in the coming weeks as this proposal moves forward. For more information on legislative efforts in Arizona, please contact Arizona NORML here.

Enter your information below to contact your House representatives and urge them to support HB 2003.

Update: HB 2002 was not given consideration before the Arizona Legislative Crossover date therefore will not be voted on this year. 
Arizona Representative Mark Cardenas has introduced legislation, House Bill 2002, which is making its way through committee, to defelonize minor marijuana possession offenses.

Arizona’s penalties pertaining to the possession and/or sale of cannabis are among the toughest in the nation. Under present law, marijuana possession is classified as a felony, punishable by up to two years in jail. Annually, an estimated 20,000 Arizonans are arrested for violating marijuana possession laws.

House Bill 2002 will reclassify minor marijuana possession offenses from a felony to a civil offense, punishable by a fine only — no arrest, no criminal prosecution, and no criminal record.

Enter your information below to contact your House representative and urge them to support HB 2002.

Arizona is one of a growing number of states where lawmakers are considering regulating cannabis for adults. NORML will continue to update you in the coming weeks as this proposal moves forward.

For more information on legislative efforts in Arizona, please contact Arizona NORML here.

Legislation is pending to eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana possession offenses.

Senate bill 1269 provides a civil penalty of no more than $100 for a first-time marijuana possession violation — no arrest, no jail time, and no criminal record. 

Under current law, a first offense is punishable by a maximum fine of $500 and a maximum 30-day jail sentence. Subsequent offenses are a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The bill further protects Virginians by ensuring that a driver’s license suspension can apply only to criminal violations or to civil violations by a minor.

The number of Virginians arrested for violating the state’s marijuana possession laws increased 76 percent between the years 2003 and 2014, at a time when arrests for similar violations were falling nationwide, according to an assessment of arrest data provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police.

Presently, Virginia police make over 22,000 annual marijuana possession arrests — one of the highest totals of any state in the nation. Minor marijuana possession offenders, many of them young people, should not be saddled with a criminal record and the lifelong penalties and stigma associated with it.
The number of African Americans arrested for possessing marijuana climbed from 4,991 in 2003 to 10,293 in 2014 – an increase of 106 percent, the report determined. In 2013, African Americans accounted for nearly half (47 percent) of possession arrests, but comprised only 20 percent of the state population.

The policy proposed by this bill is line with those of numerous other states, including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, and Nebraska. Such a change will save taxpayers money and allow police and the courts to reprioritize their resources toward addressing more serious crimes. 

Enter your information below to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to support Senate Bill 1269. 

Stay up to date with this and other NORML activities by following Virginia NORML on Facebook and register for the Virginia 2017 Cannabis Conference and Lobby Day.

Victory: Virgina Governor Terry McAuliffe signed SB 1027 into law on March 16.
Update: SB1027 has been passed unanimously by both the House (99-0) and Senate (38-0) and now heads to the Governor to be signed into law or vetoed. The Governor’s Action deadline is midnight on March 27.
Senator David Marsden has introduced a bill to re-approve a previously passed act that will regulate the instate production of cannabis oil for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. 

SB 1027 ensures that patients suffering from the debilitating condition will not have to break federal law to import cannabis oil from out of state.

The bill also allows pharmaceutical processors, after obtaining a license, to manufacture and distribute cannabis oil products. This arrangement further secures patients’ access to the treatment.  

Although more than a dozen states now explicitly exempt criminal prosecution for qualified patients who possess CBD extracts, to date only Florida and Missouri provide for in-state production of these products.

Enter your information below below to contact the Governor and urge them to support SB 1027.
Also follow Virginia NORML on Facebook and visit their website at www.vanorml.org

Update: Governor Chris Sununu signed HB 640, which amends possession penalties for up to 3/4 of an ounce of marijuana and up to five grams of hashish, into law on July 18. The new decriminalization law takes effect in 60 days.
Update: The House concurred with the amended Senate bill on June 1 and the bill will soon be transmitted to the Governor. 
Update: The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted to approve the Senate’s amended version of HB 640 on May 23.
Update: Gov. Chris Sununu tweeted on May 11 that he “looks forward” to signing HB 640 into law.
Update: Members of the Senate on May 11 voted 17 to 6 in favor of HB 640. Because the Senate amended the bill’s language, it must return to the House for a concurrence vote. Once reconciled, the bill goes to the Governor.
Update: Governor Chris Sununu has reiterated his support for decriminalizing marijuana.
Update: Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee approved an amended version of HB 640 on May 2. As amended, the measure eliminates criminal penalties for the possession of up to 3/4 of an ounce of marijuana. The full Senate its anticipated to vote on the measure on May 11. 
Update: State Sen. Bradley is pushing for an amendment that would remove the decriminalization paragraph (and thus the whole point) from the bill.
Update: HB 640 had a Senate hearing April 11 but a vote was not taken. 
Update: Members of the full House approved HB 640 on March 8 by a vote of 318 to 36. The measure now awaits action from the Senate.
After nearly a decade of frustration, 2017 may finally be the year that New Hampshire voters successfully see marijuana possession decriminalized.

HB 640, sponsored by 6 Republicans and 6 Democrats, will amend criminal penalties for marijuana possession is pending in the House, where lawmakers have overwhelmingly supported such efforts for eight years in a row. However, legislators this year are hopeful that, for the first time, they also have sufficient votes to also clear the Senate.

In addition, new Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said during his campaign he would support decriminalizing marijuana.

New Hampshire is the only New England state that has not either decriminalized or legalized adult marijuana use. But this year opposition has melted away as New Futures, a substance abuse nonprofit and past opponent, announced they will not oppose the measure.

Please use the pre-written letter below to contact your state elected officials and urging them to support this legislative effort. 

Update: SB 76 did not pass before the legislative crossover and likely will not be voted on this year. 
Legislation introduced by Senator Perry Clark of Louisville, Senate Bill 76, is making it’s way through Senate committees and seeks to legalize the possession and use of limited amounts of marijuana for those over the age of 21.

SB 76, the Cannabis Freedom Act, allows adults to possess up to one ounce of cannabis, to cultivate up to five cannabis plants, to store excess cannabis lawfully grown for personal use at the location where it was cultivated; and to transfer up to one ounce of cannabis to another person age 21 or older without remuneration.

Eight states, encompassing some 20 percent of the US population, have enacted similar adult use regulations. 

Enter your information below to contact your Senator and urge their support for this important measure. 

Update: House members have tabled SB 278 for the 2017 legislative session, and will not take any further action.
Update: Members of the House Business and Industry Committee voted 9-1 on Monday, February 27, to defeat House Bill 89. 
State Representatives Bill McCamley and Javier Martinez introduced HB 89, the Cannabis Revenue & Freedom Act to regulate the cultivation and retail sale of marijuana in the state. Companion legislation, SB 278, introduced by Sen. Gerald Ortiz, is also pending in the Senate.

”It is either going to happen sooner or it is going to happen later and if it happens sooner we can realize the economic benefits now.” McCamley said.

The continued criminalization of adult marijuana use is out-of-step with the views of adults in New Mexico, 61 percent of whom now endorse legalizing and regulating cannabis, according to a 2016 ABQ Journal poll.

Despite more than 70 years of federal marijuana prohibition, Americans’ consumption of and demand for cannabis is here to stay. It is time for state lawmakers to acknowledge this reality. It is time to stop ceding control of the marijuana market to untaxed criminal enterprises and it is time for lawmakers to seriously consider common-sense regulations governing cannabis’ personal use by adults and licensing its production.

Enter your information below to contact your state contact your state Senator and urge him/her to support SB 278.

Update: The House has adopted the Senate changes. The bill is expected to be transmitted to the Governor imminently.
Update: The Senate passed HB 215 with an amendment on June 1. The bill will now return to the House for approval. 
Update: The bill received a favorable Senate committee report on May 25.
Update: A hearing for HB 215 is being held on Tuesday 4/11 at 11:00 AM.
Update: HB 215 passed the House on Thursday, March 8 on a voice vote. It will now be referred to the Senate.
Update: Members of the House Ways and Means Committee passed HB 215 by a vote of 18-1.
Legislation is pending in the New Hampshire House, HB 215, to establish a commission to study the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana.

Police in New Hampshire arrest some 2,900 individuals annually for simple marijuana possession offenses. The continued criminalization of adult marijuana use is out-of-step with the views of New Hampshire adults, 62 percent of whom now endorse legalizing and regulating cannabis, according to a 2016 WMUR Granite State Poll.

Despite more than 70 years of federal marijuana prohibition, Americans’ consumption of and demand for cannabis is here to stay. It is time for state lawmakers to acknowledge this reality. It is time to stop ceding control of the marijuana market to untaxed criminal enterprises and it is time for lawmakers to seriously consider common-sense regulations governing cannabis’ personal use by adults and licensing its production.